GRACE 2021-22 Updates

Updates for 2021-22 can be found on this page!

All meetings for this upcoming school year will be virtual via ZOOM and outside of traditional school hours to eliminate the need for substitutes and to minimize losing instructional time in the classroom.

2021-22 GRACE Meeting Schedule: 

Sept. 14 – 3:30-5:30pm 

October 19 – with principals – 3:30-5:30pm 

November 16th – 3:30-5:30pm 

January 18 – Mid-Year Check-in 3:30-4:30pm ONLY

February 15th -3:30-5:30pm 

March 15th -3:30-5:30pm 

April 26th -3:30-5:30pm 

May 17th -3:30-5:30pm 

June 20th – GRACE New TL Meeting – 9:00am-12:00pm 

June 21st– Virtual Catholic Educators Forum – with principals

 

Purpose of GRACE meetings:

 

  • Professional Learning Communities – DuFour’s Learning by Doing book: teacher leaders will participate in a year-long books study on Professional Learning Communities based on student improvement efforts. Teacher Leaders are expected to lead at least one PLC a month during a regularly scheduled staff meeting utilizing DuFour’s framework of PLCs. 
  • CEL 5D Framework for Teacher Evaluation & Peer Evaluations – Focus on Curriculum & Pedagogy for 2021-22. Teacher Leaders will be collaborating on ways to ensure their classrooms are proficient in curriculum and pedagogy practices based on the research of the Center for Educational Leadership framework. They will bring these ideas back to their schools during PLC times. 
  • Equity and Diversity Work – Open Wide Our Hearts / Courageous Conversations / The Conversation: Teacher Leaders will be studying works on racial equity through a social and Catholic lens; teacher leaders will be provided training on racial equity programs utilizing Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations protocol. Teacher Leaders will be asked to help create goals for their own schools in culturally competent initiatives. 
  • Curriculum Project 2021 – Teacher Leaders will be given the space and time to break out into content-like teams to begin developing curriculum maps in their grade bands and/or specific areas of focus. This will be a springboard for a larger Curriculum Review process at the Archdiocesan level.
  • Data- MAP testing and using Data for Student Improvement: Teacher Leaders will be trained in understanding how to most effectively utilize MAP data for instructional support and to best understand how to implement assessments for continual student growth and instructional direction. 
  • Leadership Development & Support – Teacher Leaders will have an opportunity to take a Strength-Finder test to best understand their own strengths as leaders and to self-reflect upon the areas of leadership where they are most competent and the areas where there is the most opportunity for growth and development. 
  • Professional Development & Curriculum Day 2022 – February 11 2022 is an all-Archdiocesan school Professional Development day – a non-student work day for most schools. Teacher Leaders will be helping to find resources in order to make this virtual PD day accessible, relevant and aligned to the needs of the schools in their regions. 

Program Cost: $500 (this covers the cost of professional development books on PLC structures, leadership and integrating equity work into organizations, speakers for the Catholic Educators Forum, StrengthFinders™ evaluation, and leadership coaching costs.